Review of Satantango (1994) by Rob R — 24 Sep 2009

There is no denying that this 7hr film feels like a 7hr film - it's slow slow slow and it means it. Yet it is absolutely exquisite; is it the black and white, is it the dvd qualitee or is just simply beautifully shot? I dunno but every shot (of which there aren't that many) is a painting of such insane detail that boredom rarely sets in.

Divided into 12 chapters, perhaps the worst culprit of attracting boredom is the dance scene (I know I'm not the first to say this!) yet still elements of the surreal crept in to maintain interest (I'm thinking of you, man balancing cheese roll on his nose). Possibly the 10+ min dance was hampered by an equally repetitve soliloquy from a tramp in the bar just before it. Whatever, the 6th chapter did prove to be a bit of a thorn.

I'm not gonna deny, I watched this in 3 sittings (over 6 evenings, and I watched True Lies over 2 of the 3 non-Satantango nights) and not with the intervals as suggested by the producers. That said, the breaks I ended up taking, I think were reasonable (1-5,6-8,9-12) so I don't think I lost too much. I'm rambling so I'll summarise, lovely lovely lovely. And drone! Not much, but what there is, is taste.